The mountains cry for no one
by Limitless world
Summary: Many years after the meteor parasite was destroyed the village of Mag Mel was re-ihnabited. A group of youth are sent to explore the snowy mountains nearby, but they soon find it is more inhabited than expected.
1. The expedition begins

**I do not in any way own Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.**

The town of Mag Mel; completely abandoned since the coming of the Miasma, was once again inhabited after the vile parasite was destroyed. In the elder's council room a young Yuke and the Selkic elder were deep in conversation.

The Yuke placed a pile of scrolls in front of the elder "as you can see from these charts the meteor caused much more than just Miasma. When it struck the earth it threw a great deal of dust into the air. The dust was thick enough to block out the sun in the nearby mountains; effectively creating an isolated ice-age."

The elder pretended to look over the charts "why is this important to us, Ahrcenam?"

Ahrcenam chuckled "you see, I uncovered some older records. Apparently before the meteor hit the caves in those mountains were positively bursting with valuable materials. I will bet you all in this world that those materials are just waiting to be harvested."

The elder stroked his beard "very well assemble an expedition team, you will set out tomorrow."

_*The next day..*._

The expedition team stood at the front of the village, Ahrcenam the Yuke proudly leading was followed by his brother; Lonehoyk, as well as the elder's half-Clavat granddaughter, Sanhy, her betrothed Carlyle, and four Lilty mercenaries. Each member carried their weapons and other gear; they were all wearing thick layers of clothing to fight off the piercing cold.

Ahrcenam raised his arms and announced "citizens of Mag Mel, today we eight will push the boundaries of the known world; we venture forth for new discoveries and glory for the village!"

Lonehoyk placed a hand on his brothers shoulder "nobody's listening brother."

Ahrcenam lowered his head "I know," he whimpered. "Any-hoo, let's start out."

One by one the travellers stepped from their village into the wide open world before them.

The walk to the base of the mountains was long. Carlyle complained constantly, saying to Sanhy that they should have stayed to prepare for the wedding, Sanhy said nothing. Ahrcenam spent the majority of the trip explaining to the Liltys the many uses for the materials that they sought, the Liltys passed the time making fun of Ahrcenam.

When the group at last found themselves in the frosted hills surrounding the mountains the Yuke brothers became giddy with the thought of new discovery and began running farther ahead and shouting with excitement. Their shouts were heard by a solemn figure perched atop a cliff, even from his vantage point he could see the intruders, he could smell them, but he could not identify them.

"_They are not of our kind," _he thought to himself. Cautiously he descended and slowly followed behind the strangers.


	2. Blood in the Snow

**I do not own Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.**

The Mag Mel expedition group continued on, completely unaware of the person following them.

"Sanhy, why did you insist on coming to a place like this? We have so many other things that we could be doing at home," Carlyle whined putting his arm around his fiancé Sanhy. She said nothing.

Lonehoyk turned around; his helm already covered in frost "Carlyle! If all you're going to do is complain why don't you crawl back to the village?" He snapped. Carlyle glared at the Yuke but said nothing let go of Sanhy and walked ahead to join Ahrcenam.

Sanhy smiled at Lonehoyk "thank you. I'm sorry for his behaviour; he's just concerned for my safety."

Lonehoyk shook his head "who told you that? Your grandfather? I think the only thing Carlyle is concerned about is perpetuating his family's legacy."

Sahny's smile faded "I know..." she said sadly. The group was very silent for a few hours.

A sudden cry broke the silence "dear god!" Ahrcenam yelled "look at this!" The group converge around the remains of a tremendous white wolf. "What could have done this to a beast of this size?" The wolf had been mauled and skinned its blood stained the white snow so brightly that it played tricks with your eyes.

"There's no way a human could this," Lonehoyk said, "but since the Miasma faded the monsters have all become too weak to fight."

Carlyle trembled "do you see Sanhy!? You see how dangerous it is out here? We should just forget those damn materials and save ourselves," he wasn't even trying to mask his fear.

Sanhy slapped Carlyle in the face "get a hold of yourself Carlyle! It's more likely that there were many people that attacked it at once, that's why the wolf has been skinned; they use the fur as clothing."

Ahrcenam placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully "but how could this place be inhabited, no one has lived here since before the meteor hit."

One of the Lilty mercenaries piped up "is it possible that people that used to live here survived the Miasma?"

Ahrcenam feeling very intelligent answered quickly "anyone exposed to Miasma for that long would be dead, either that or they would have to be some kind of human monster cross breed..." Everyone in the group looked at Ahrcenam worriedly. "But of course that would be impos..." He stopped suddenly looking frightened.

Sanhy reached for weapon "I heard it too."


	3. Ambush from Below

I do not own Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.

The group drew their weapons and stood back to back in a circle listening intently to the sound of snow crunching underfoot. Carlyle gripped his sword in his freezing fingers whimpering about he did not want to die; everyone rolled their eyes at him. The sound steadily drew closer until it suddenly stopped.

The Lilty mercenaries scanned the area but saw nothing; nobody could anything but snow and stone and for a good thirty minutes all was deathly silent. Just as the tension was beginning to settle Ahrcenam felt a cold grip around his ankle and was pulled down to the ground.

Sanhy instantly wheeled around and plunged her sword in the ground at Ahrcenam's feet, and just as quickly a man erupted from beneath the snow, his long pale grey hair blending perfectly with his porcelain skin and ivory leather clothes.

The group jumped back a step before turning to face the man; he stood on all fours, snarling like a beast, his feet and arms were bare, and each digit ending with a razor sharp claw. The Lilty mercenaries moved first; all four of them lunging with their spears, the man reached out and took a firm grip of the shaft of the spear already nearest him and in one motion smashed the first Lilty into the second, the third, until all of the tiny warriors lay dazed in a heap.

Carlyle took another step back and hid behind Sanhy "Ahrcenam! I thought you said that a human-monster would be impossible!"

Ahrcenam quickly brushed the snow off his helm "b-blizzard!" He cried panicking.

The ice block flew toward the man; he raised his arm to stop it, the ice shattered on impact; the shards flew and cut the man's face, he screamed in pain, holding his head he muttered something that was gibberish to the others, Sanhy however recognized it as a language similar to ancient Selkic: _"why has the ice betrayed me!?" _She translated, she leaped towards the man and slammed the hilt of her sword against his head, and he fell to the ground silently.

Carlyle cautiously approached the motionless body "is it dead?" he asked.

Sanhy didn't turn to look at him "I doubt he could have survived a blow to the head like that," she knelt down and pulled the man on to her shoulders.

"What are you doing!?" Lonehoyk shouted, not sounding very surprised.

Sanhy just started walking towards a nearby cave "whoever this man is he was able to hide under the snow for thirty minutes without freezing and compared to us he's barely wearing anything; he's more than worth examining further." She looked to Lonehoyk and Ahrcenam, they both nodded. The group started up the snowy crag towards the cave with their new specimen.


	4. Yoni the Feral

**I do not own Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.**

The group trudged towards the cave, the wounded Lilties used their spears for support. Sanhy walked ahead of them despite her passenger.

_"Why? Why is his language so similar to the ancient Selkic tongue?" _She thought anxiously.

Carlyle glanced at Sanhy then at the man she carried and shuddered, he took a step closer to Lonehoyk; as if he would be safe next to him is another one of these people attacked. When they arrived at the cave Carlyle dropped all his things and sat down with a great sigh "finally, we get to rest. Ahrcenam you should light us a fire," no reply.

Ahrcenam was kneeling over the corpse of the man that had attacked them "fascinating! His skin is so thick and leathery on his arms and feet, it's no wonder the cold doesn't bother him. If you look closely you can also see that the hair on his arms is quite thick, it's difficult to tell though because of the colouration..." He continued to blather to himself while Lonehoyk built the fire.

Sanhy joined Ahrcenam as he tested the sharpness of the man's claws "perhaps we should move him closer to the fire."

Carlyle shouted loudly "why bother? It's dead after all."

"It's getting dark, he'll be easier to see that way," Sanhy continued; ignoring Carlyle's outburst.

"Ahh, true enough young lady! Very well; you take his hands, I'll take the feet." The two lifted the man and positioned him so the light fell on him. "We should give him some kind of name so as not to call him 'the one that attacked us.'"

Once again Carlyle shouted "it's _dead_!!"

Sanhy nodded "shall we call him Yoni, The ancient number one?"

"Yes, good idea. We will call the race 'Ferals' because of their nature," Ahrcenam stated. "There is only thing I don't understand; why did my blizzard have such an effect on him if he is so accustomed to the snow?"

Sanhy hesitated but decided it would be wise to tell Ahrcenam the truth "you remember after you hit him he screamed something?" Ahrcenam nodded. "The language was very similar to ancient Selkic, he said 'why has the ice betrayed me?' It would seem that he saw the snow and ice as a living being, a friend almost."

Suddenly Carlyle appeared beside Sanhy "I doubt this thing knows what friends are, at any rate it's dead, you can dissect it tomorrow if you like. Come with me Sanhy I'll keep you warm," he smiled insincerely.

Sanhy felt cold at the thought "I'll be right there Carlyle," she watched as he went to prepare the bedroll; when she was sure no one could hear her she whispered "goodnight, Yoni..." 


	5. A Surprise Awakening

**I do not own Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.**

Sanhy did not sleep well that night, the feeling of being so close to Carlyle made her shiver, which only gave him reason to move closer. The next morning Sanhy awoke before any of the others. She walked over to Yoni and sat down next to him "good morning, Yoni. I'm sorry about yesterday, but I couldn't let you hurt anyone... I'm getting married soon," she closed her eyes "I don't know if I want to do it, but everyone says Carlyle and I make a good pair..." She trailed off and looked at Yoni's motionless face "I wish I hadn't hit you so hard, we could have talked about so much." She buried her face in her hands.

The sun had risen when the others began to stir, the Lilties quickly turned to their packs and sought breakfast, Ahrcenam built the fire, and Lonehoyk was trying to wake up the stubborn Carlyle. Sanhy approached Ahrcenam "you should begin looking for the materials today, this cave is probably filled with all kinds of fascinating things."

Ahrcenam was too tired to answer out loud but he nodded as he tended the fire and warmed himself up.

By mid-noon Ahrcenam had returned to his usual enthusiastic self and was quickly giving everyone instructions on what to look for and what to do if you found anything. After many hours of searching nobody had found anything of interest.

"Well I say, I do hope we have better luck tomorrow," the others glared at him.

After a long silence Carlyle spoke up "what about your little specimen, were you going to see how it works inside today?"

Ahrcenam paused and thought for a moment "perhaps that would shed some light on his life style and diet," he reached for the knife at his waist.

Sanhy stepped in front of him "is dissection really necessary Ahrcenam?" She asked shakily.

"It's not like it can feel," Carlyle replied harshly. Ahrcenam knelt down and steadily poised his knife.

Almost instantly Yoni's eyes flew open, he grabbed Ahrcenam's hand and slammed the back of the knife into the Yuke's faceplate. Ahrcenam was sent reeling; Yoni quickly scanned around him and instinctively leaped at Sanhy wrapping one arm firmly around her throat and poising his other hand over he chest.

He whispered to her in his ancient language "I have no intention of harming you," Sanhy did not struggle. Yoni barked at the other group members "meh kefts dantiok jhi cor!"

Sanhy quickly translated "He says 'let me out or I'll tear out her heart.'"

Everyone lowered their weapons; knowing the Elder would have them killed if Sanhy was harmed.

As Yoni approached the mouth of the cave he said "fenjietyh," Sanhy shouted to them as they ran out of the cave.

"Don't follow us!" __


	6. The Warmth of a Beast's Heart

**I Do not own Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.**

***Note: Since most of the characters that appear from here on understand the Selkic language I'm just going to write it in English.**

Sanhy and Yoni ran for half a hour before they finally stopped to rest. Yoni had a much easier time running over snow, so he carried Sanhy on his back while he navigated. They stopped under a large rock formation; it provided a lot of shelter so there was little snow, as they sat Sanhy turned to the man that had stolen from everything she was familiar with.

"What's your name?" She said, trying to sound as close to his language as possible. "My group was referring to you as 'Yoni' but I'd like to know what to call you when we speak to each other."

He turned his face away from her "you assume that we will speak often then?" he answered coldly.

They were both very silent afterwards, when the sun began to set Sanhy curled up by herself next to the wall of the formation, while Yoni sat near the outside; sniffing the winds and scanning the terrain, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't ignore the sound of the girl's shivering

_"It is my fault that she's so cold. I was the one who stole her away from her friends..."_ He thought about this for a few minute before he crawled over to her; he wrapped his arms around her and held her close against his body "my name is Kyth, I'm a member of the Asemic tribe. I apologize for taking you away from your friends." he whispered in her ear.

Sanhy smiled quietly as her body began to warm up again "Thank you Kyth. My name is Sanhy, I'm half Selkie and half Clavat," she didn't know why she told him that, maybe it was because of the cold, or maybe it was because of the comfort that she felt from being so close to him.

The two slept peacefully as they kept each other warm the sun slowly began to rise over the distant hills. Kyth lifted Sanhy back onto his back and they began walking again; it wasn't long before Sanhy became curious.

"Kyth?" she asked; he stopped and turned to look at her. "Where are we going?"

Kyth faced forward and continued walking "I'm taking you to the Asemic village," he replied "Siadrwa."


	7. Contemplation

**I DO NOT OWN FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES.**

_"Siadrwa," _Sanhy thought to herself as she was carried though the snow, the cold winds stung her face and she buried herself in the furry collar of Kyth's vest. He ran on all fours to spread out his weight on the snow so as not to sink, he was fast too, she thought they would arrive before night fell.

They stopped to rest once in a tiny cave near a cliff. Kyth curled into a ball and slept, Sanhy didn't bother him and instead thought about the Asemic village _"what will it be like?" _ She wondered _"will it be inside a giant cave? Or maybe a temple carved out of the mountain?"_ She let her imagination run wild, and with all the possibilities she was creating she was tempted to wake Kyth to ask him what the village was like.

He looked to peaceful to disturb though, like a dog napping in front of a fire, so she let him be. Sanhy didn't think it was an insult to compare someone to an animal, she loved animals, they were always so true to themselves, they do what they feel is best, never lying or gossiping. She thought maybe this was why it was so easy for her to trust Kyth, he had the same free and true disposition she sensed in the wild animals she saw on the edges of her hometown. She settled herself on the cold ground and watched her captor sleep. She didn't know if she considered him as her captor though, more so as her savior; she was being forced into a marriage that she was so uncertain of it sometimes made her cry, and he took her away from it all. She remembered that morning, when she woke up wrapped in Kyth's arms, she remembered the how warm she felt, how safe, there wasn't a sad thought in her mind, she tried her hardest not to move, to make the moment last as long as possible.

As she lay there on the floor she saw him twitch ever so slightly, and then growled a little before he returned to him peaceful slumber _"he must be dreaming,"_ she thought, smiling.

Indeed Kyth was dreaming it was a strange dream too, for some reason or another he had a tail,he didn't understand why he had it, or where it came from, all he did know was that he wanted to chase it. So he did; he chased his new found tail, round and round until he became to dizzy to stand, he flopped over on his side and looked up to see a woman standing over him, he didn't recognize her, she smiled at him and bent down a patted his head, this simple sign of affection made his bushy tail wag uncontrollably.

Kyth opened one of his eyes to see Sanhy sitting in front of him, he could feel her hand gently stroking his hair, he smiled slightly and went back to sleep.


	8. Siadrwa

**I DO NOT OWN FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES.**

"Just over this ridge is Siadrwa," Kyth said as he and Sanhy trudged through the snowy slope.

Sanhy was very excited, she loved seeing new places, that's why she had volunteered for this expedition, but she had never imagined this. As Kyth proceeded she began to see the entrance to a cave, it seemed almost as if the opening was glowing with a soft pale light, as they drew closer she could see Asemic people moving about. Kyth stood up right and Sanhy slid of his back and stood by his side, one by one the denizens of Siadrwa were noticing this strange woman standing next to Kyth. Sanhy glanced around curiously, she saw some of the women whispering to each other while others were busy tending to their children. They all wore garments made of the same white leather and fur as Kyth's clothes, as they passed a group of men she could hear them chuckling and licking their lips, Kyth put his arm around her shoulders and glanced fiercely at the men, who quickly calmed themselves.

Sanhy was both comforted and disturbed by Kyth's actions _"they almost seemed frightened of him," _she didn't want to think of why Kyth was able to strike fear with a slight glance.

Kyth soon lead Sanhy to a small dark tunnel in the side of the cave "this way leads to our tribe's Elder," he said coaxing her into the narrow opening.

The tunnel was dark Sanhy could not see anything until a dim light appeared near the end; twice she tripped over loose stones and was saved by Kyth's quick reflexes. When at last they reached the end of the tunnel an old woman dressed in a long fur coat and a necklace of beast fangs greeted them.

"Hail young Kyth," she said calmly "who is this? An outsider?" She examined Sanhy from a distance with suspicion in her pale blue eyes.

Kyth took a step forward "I was held captive by her group but she assisted my escape."

The Elder eyed him "by which you mean; you took her hostage?" she asked. Kyth made no reply, "so it's true then," the Elder went on "you know well enough that no human may set their eyes on Siadrwa and live."

Kyth looked directly into the Elder's eyes and smiled confidently "you have become forgetful in your old age, is she can pass the "Judgment of Sai-Vero" she may live among our kind." he said.

Sanhy's heart was racing _"what is the Judgment of Sai-Vero? If I don't pass will I be killed?" _She tried to keep herself calm but could not help it, the thought of her own death after finally being granted freedom from her old life was too much to bear, she gripped Kyth's arm with all her might.

The Elder frowned and said "very well, if she can pass the Judgment she may live here. However; if she does not then it will be you Kyth, who will carry out her execution," she said coldly.

Sanhy stood terrified, gazing at Kyth, praying that he would protest, or that this was all some kind of cruel joke.

Kyth closed his eyes for a moment "that's fine," he said calmly.


	9. Why?

**I DO NOT OWN FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES.**

Sanhy was on the brink of tears, she released Kyth's arm and took a step away. She had been so sure that she could trust Kyth to protect her; hearing him agree to kill her with his own hands, broke her heart more than all the days she had spent with Carlyle combined.

The Elder turned and began to walk away "I will begin the preparations for the ritual then."

Once she was out of sight Sanhy turned to Kyth with tears in her eyes "why!? Why damn it!?" she screamed, pounding her fists on his chest "why did you bring me here? If you wanted me dead why didn't you just kill me!? And why would you have kept me warm that night? To make me believe you cared !?" She fell to her knees sobbing into her hands.

Kyth knelt before her so their faces were level "Sanhy," he said softly. In an instant Sanhy's hand flew through the air smacking Kyth with all the strength she could muster.

"WHY!!" Her furious eyes burned with hatred.

Kyth gripped shoulders firmly "Sanhy listen to me!" she calmed slightly and he went on "you are not going to die, did you think I would agree to such things if I had any doubt that you would pass the Judgment?"

Sanhy dried her eyes and shook herself from Kyth's grip "what is this Judgment?" she croaked, her voice hoarse from crying.

"The Judgment of Sai-Vero: a ritual that decides the fate of any human that sets foot in Siadrwa. The human must strip themselves to their purest form and then cross the spring of Sai-Vero." Kyth explained slowly.

Sanhy looked at Kyth "I just have to swim across a spring?"

Kyth shook his head "not swim, walk." Sanhy looked confused "at the other side of the spring there is a pillar of ice, inside there is the body of Sai-Vero; the mother of the Asemic tribe." Kyth paused and drew a diagram of the spring and the pillar in the dust "if an Asemic sets foot on the water's surface it will freeze beneath their feet, if the water freezes for you then you will have passed the Judgment."

Sanhy took a moment to fully absorb all of this information before she turned to Kyth "what makes you so sure that I can pass?" she asked.

Kyth smiled warmly "because you are different from other humans, and from being so close to me for so long you bear the scent of an Asemic," he stood up and helped Sanhy to her feet.

He lead her into a vast chamber that practically glowed with a shimmering blue light, Sanhy saw the spring stretched before her and the ice pillar in the distance.

The Elder turned to her and smiled devilishly "whenever you are ready," she said.


	10. The Judgment of SaiVero

**I DO NOT OWN FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES.**

Sanhy breathed deeply as she slowly unwrapped the scarves around her head; letting her long sapphire hair fall freely down her back, she turned to glance at Kyth, who was looking away, and slowly began to remove her heavy garments, until they were piled on the stone floor. Her body felt so light, and she was surprised by how warm she was, she cautiously stepped forward onto the water of the spring, the Elder watched intently as Sanhy's foot came down towards the mirror like surface. The frost gathered beneath Sanhy's foot, the Elder was awestruck, every step she took the water under Sanhy's foot solidified until eventually reached the far edge of the spring.

As she approached the frigged pillar she could see the form of a beautiful silver haired woman, with her hands folded in prayer, enclosed inside, she stared into the serene face of Sai-Vero as she placed her hand on the cold wall.

_"You."_ A voice came so suddenly that Sanhy nearly jumped. _"You bear his scent. Has he opened his heart to you?"_

Sanhy did not know how to reply; she remained perfectly still and listened to the silky voice.

_"For his sake, I will give you my blessing." _Sanhy could feel something stir inside her, the blood in her veins felt thick and cold. Her mind was spinning as if common sense was yielding to some deep seeded instinct that had remained dormant for so long. She looked at her hand and saw that her flesh was now almost ivory white, she pulled a lock of her hair in front of her face; it was no longer its old dark shadeblue but instead a pale translucent periwinkle, her fingers now ended with pointed claws _"I've become an Asemic!" _she thought. She turned and walked back to the shore, her hair now dragging slightly in the water.

The Elder was amazed, she bowed to Sanhy "my deepest apologies for my earlier rudeness," she said as Sanhy reached for her clothing but as she drew near it she caught vague remnants of Carlyle's scent and instead pushed them away "could you get me some new clothes?" She asked the elder.

The Elder scramble about "yes, of course," she said and rushed out of the chamber, Sanhy wrapped her arms around herself as she heard Kyth's footsteps approaching

Sanhy turned to Kyth and looked at him and saw that his eyes were firmly closed and covered by his hand. She reached out and pulled his hand away; she didn't care if he saw her, maybe it was the wild instancts her new Asemic blood, or maybe it was something else altogether, but she felt no reason to hide herself from him, her honey eyes locked with own. "Thank you Kyth. Thanks to you I have the chance to start my life over, to live how I like and not have to worry about being controlled or used." She leaned her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

Kyth said nothing, favouring the silence, they stood; so calm and serene, under the watchful gaze of Sai-Vero for what felt like forever in an instant.

**Author's note: Woohoo Chapter 10! and not even 60 days after the original publishing! Special thanks to all of the readers. (Keep those reviews coming! ^_^) I hope you're enjoying things so far. Next chapther we learn some more about Sai-Vero. Hope to see you there!**


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